The revolution will be monetized

Welcome to Tech in Asia’s Sunday newsletter, your weekend brief on the biggest moves in Asia’s tech and startup world. Not on the mailing list? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.

In focus

• Eileen C. Ang on why wars and money go hand in hand
• How Southeast Asia’s tech players are coping as oil prices soar amid Middle East conflict
• What AI systems engineers do, explained

Hello reader,

Over dinner a few weeks ago, a friend observed that the world seems like a giant dumpster fire. It wasn’t too long ago when we were in the grip of a global pandemic, and now autocracy is staging a comeback that nobody asked for (but I suppose some did vote for it.) Ever the quipper, I said that our ancestors had it worse: at least we don’t have world wars anymore. We laughed, even if we agreed that it’s a comfort that we’re in danger of losing.

Then less than an hour later, news broke that the US and Israel had attacked Iran. It didn’t take long before Iran retaliated, and in a sign that it is indeed a 21st century war, one of its first targets was Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) data centers.

The unfortunate truth is that war isn’t a stranger to the Middle East, and I knew that it was only a matter of time till the world’s oil prices skyrocket and oil supplies dry up. I’m not an economist, so I’m ill-equipped to calculate or estimate the damages from this war.

However, history tells us that wars are expensive: Countries will spend to make or buy weapons to protect themselves and to fight their enemies. Businesses will likely lose and bleed money in the face of such uncertainty and instability, unless of course raining death and destruction is how one profits.

Made by Miguel Cordon / Tech in Asia with the help of AI

Southeast Asia’s tech sector is gearing up for the potential fallout, such as higher operating costs. This week’s first editor’s pick takes a look at how industries ranging from logistics and transportation to data centers and online travel agencies in the region are adjusting to the realities of a war that doesn’t look like it’s ending.

On another front, the AI revolution (which some might consider a war of sorts) has given birth to a new army of jobs that may seem baffling to most folks. Exactly what is an AI systems engineer and what does one do? I confess that I don’t know, but our second editor’s pick can answer all our questions as it focuses on the ins and outs of this work.

What I do know is that war is always costly, but it usually isn’t the one who wages it that pays. That’s left to those who can’t afford to get out of the crossfire.

Eileen C. Ang, co-managing editor

Editor’s picks

1️⃣ The price isn’t right: Oil spike fuels risks in SEA’s tech scene

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